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RobB

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Everything posted by RobB

  1. I see that QPro VV in the foreground ! You know the wind's up when that's out of the bag !
  2. That's really cool, Paul, getting to actually see these kites in the Islands. I remember reading about the really big kites they fly at their festivals (probably in Kiting magazine). I never really paid too much attention to kites like this, though. Having never seen them and what they can do, I just didn't give them the proper appreciation. I'm going to have to look back through my old issues of Kiting magazine for your article, it does sound familiar now that you mention it. Thanks.
  3. I was passing Canarsie Pier again on my way home from work, and saw that the kites were flying again. I didn't feel like sitting in traffic much, so decided to stop in and hang with the guys I met last week. They were all there, along with some new faces. All of them are incredibly friendly, they remembered me and took me right into their group. The kites that they fly are all home-made, just like they flew on the Islands that they come from. The kite that they fly is called a 'Mad Bull', because they pull so hard, especially considering their size. The line they were flying on was kevlar, looked like around 150#-200#, seems really strong for a kite no bigger than 2 feet across, until you feel the pull ! Materials were ripstop fabric, split bamboo spars, glued seams with very little sewing. The long tails were made out of strips cut from basketball jersey material with the little holes for the most part, but some of the kites had what looked like strips of bedsheets. Oh, and they had a little buzz strip on the nose that you can hear when the kites are low, but you can only feel it in the line (interesting effect) when they're a couple hundred feet up. They fly these kites pretty high, nice solid, stable flyers until you give the line some input. A pull or a push at the right time can make the kite turn left or right, loop, power dive & recover. Pretty amazing in their skilled hands. Pretty scary in my inexperienced hands, I mean, the last thing I wanted to do was crash the kite, and I had no idea how to get out of a dive. I could hear them laughing a little as I panicked... A little slack, and the kite turned back up and recovered. I know, I said I wouldn't fly at this spot again, but the spool was just handed to me, and my new friend walked away. I was just stopping to take some pictures of them flying and ask them more about their kites. I can't say how much it means to me to have found this friendly group of kite flyers, to learn about kites that I knew nothing about, and a little bit about their culture from the Islands. One thing that one of them told me really stood out... when they are home flying kites and it gets dark, they just tie them off, go to sleep, and come back in the morning... the kites are still there flying, and they pick up where they left off ! One guy said the longest he had a kite flying was 2 weeks ! (WHAT ?) Yeah, he told me that with a straight face, I believe it. Long tails ? (Got tail ?) Launching the Trinidad Colors... You can tell from the tails how the kite dances as it climbs, on purpose from the pilot's inputs... Turns... Nice, solid, straight flight with no inputs... Looping around at altitude... Some of the others flying... A few loops & a dive... I thought this one was a nice design...
  4. Some people told me that the feds can show up randomly and issue fines... significant fines. I'm not surprised, and wouldn't be surprised, that's why this will be a one-time-only KAP at this location. But I'm glad I got the shots !
  5. Well, evidently, FAA regulations state that you can't fly within 5 miles of an airport boundary. This spot is very popular for kite flying, and every kite flying there this day was higher than mine. The one that I caught in the picture was the lowest one, there were 2 that had to be 400 feet up ! I never fly above 200 feet, either, no matter where I'm flying. You're right, it's nice to be able to see the kite.
  6. I feel kind of bad that I was flying in a spot that technically I shouldn't have been flying, I guess these shots are from the 'don't try this at home' file... Probably the last time I will fly at this spot, knowing that it is inside JFK airspace. Upon re-reading the above information, the important part stuck out at me. The center of the airport was not the important distance, it was the distance to the closest runway.
  7. Yeah, it took a lot longer to go through the video because I kept hitting 'pause'. The shots on & of the pier were nice, as well as the shots looking to the left showing the other docks along the water. Everything looks so much cooler from above !
  8. Watching the passion for flying is very heartening. I'm sure it won't be long before the kids grow past the interest in kites, and they are just into what their friends are into, and don't want to know mom & dad, so I'm enjoying this while it lasts ! @ Bill... this beach is only good for flying when the wind is out of the North, as you can see by the tall bluff behind the kites. Otherwise, yes, a great spot to fly with no one else to get in the way !
  9. Yeah, and how cool would it be to have the only beer-tap stake there ?!?
  10. Full screen & HD this video ! I really liked the end shots when the light got low... but I need more than 1 second with each picture. Not enough time to take in the whole view... Looks like a really cool spot. Jealous.
  11. After spending most of the day inside because of the stormy weather, the boys had to get out & have a little fly before dark. The rain stopped, but the wind was up so we had to fly some kites suited for 15-20mph winds... The Kitty Hawk Flyer needs 12mph of wind just to get into the air... The ITW Star 7 Box Kite can take more than 25mph of wind, so it was perfect, too. It did pull a bit harder than the Kitty Hawk Flyer, though. Glad to have a new kite flying buddy... my son is asking almost every day if we can head out & fly some kites !
  12. Ooops... forgot this one as I was back on my way home...
  13. After sitting in traffic for an hour on the way home today, and getting no where fast, I took the opportunity to stop off and do some KAP'n at Canarsie Pier. Glad I did... A shot of the traffic that I could've been sitting in... A shot of Manhattan off in the hazy distance... I caught one of the Caribbean Fighter Kites that were being flown at the Pier... I also got a shot of a 747 (?) making it's approach to JFK Airport... I was lucky enough to meet a couple of guys that were flying those home-made Caribbean fighter kites, one was from Jamaica, and the other from Trinidad. Super nice guys, talked for a while, they let me try one of their kites, and also showed me how they make them. It was amazing how much control they had over the single line kites, they could turn left or right, do loops, and make them 'dance'. It's a big part of their culture on the Islands, and I was so happy to meet them. Special thanks to my friend Gig, who told me about the Pier, and urged me to stop there sometime.
  14. The Power Sleds are very stable, never had one collapse. If anything I can fault them for, they pull really hard. If I tied one to my belt, I'd be singing soprano ! I only KAP in stronger winds, like 8mph to 20mph. Even though I'm only using a GoPro, I'd hate to risk damaging it. The Gomberg sand anchors are cheap, or if you can sew, they look really easy to make. I've even used canvas 'green' grocery bags, and cheap duffle bags. The first two pack small, and the duffle can hold your stuff once you dump the sand out.
  15. I put together a 'KAP kit in a bag' recently. Everything I need is in a backpack... the kite, 300' of 300# line, sand anchor, GoPro Kap Rig, gloves, and tie-off strap. I was passing a location I thought would be interesting on the way home from work, so decided to give it a go for 15 minutes... Kap kit & car used as a tie-off... View looking up at the kite & rig... Kite's view looking back at me... A little higher up... And some hi-res shots... Party Boats coming back in with the day's catch...
  16. I really like the pictures of the playground & the skate park. My kids would have a blast there !
  17. I'll try for better pictures the next time out... maybe even some video !
  18. I would look for something a little bit bigger. That's just me, but bigger gives more pull & more thrill, the novelty doesn't wear off as quickly...
  19. I'm not sure whose the others are. I will guess Wayne Brunjes and maybe the people from Heads Up Kites, Pam Kirk and Mike Dennis. I'll have to check the next time it's out. The really cool thing about the spider-web stitching is that it's done in a silver thread, and sparkles in the sun, like a wet spider web. The kite bag also has the spider web stitching.
  20. Oh, let's just send it to Long Island... I'll be happy to fly it & let my kiteless friends fly my red MV !
  21. Kinda like the Vapor, only that Prism made probably a few hundred Vapors. Have you ever seen the Rainbow Vapor ? I think there were 3 white ones, and 3 black ones. Another kite that I've been waiting even longer to get my hands on ! I am not holding my breath...
  22. The original owner contacted me, he knew how much I liked the kite & he is selling all of his kites to fund a new interest. I am so grateful he thought of me !
  23. This is one of those kites that you wait for years to find one available... I've been hoping to find one of these for sale for over 5 years, but the chances were slim, since there were only 6 of them made. It's a Widow Maker (electric) 'Spider'... Other than it's appearance, the only difference between this one and a regular Widow Maker is the Turbo bridle. I haven't flown it enough to determine whether or not that's a plus or minus. I flew it a little today in not the best wind (offshore) and stormy. I can say that it is REALLY precise, and could side slide easily ALL the way across the window. Can't wait for some good wind to give this kite a real test drive, but it sure was pretty in the sun ! Just to make it a little better, Skyburner used Prismatex for the mylar reinforcement points !
  24. So, this has been a spot that I've wanted to KAP for a long time, and my 2 oldest agreed to join me on the adventure. It's pretty difficult to get to if you don't take a boat, but we made the mile hike from our beach & climbed the big dune. (Our boat hasn't been in the water for years) Here's the spot we picked out... Here's a shot of the kite & the GoPro rig... A shot of the first height we were shooting from... Self portrait of the KAP'n crew... A picture of me taking a picture of my daughter... A shot showing what the end of our beach looks like... A shot of all the boats hanging out in the Cove... We gave the kite & rig a little more line for a different perspective... And, I got caught bringing it back down... Great times...
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